Jury Awards $900K In Malik Jones Case

Thirteen years after an East Haven cop chased Malik Jones into New Haven and then shot him dead at close range, a federal jury Thursday decided Jones’ life was worth $900,000.

The jury, sitting in U.S. District Court in Hartford, decided that the town of East Haven owes that money to the dead man’s estate in compensatory damages, in a lawsuit brought by Jones’ mother, Emma Jones.

It was the latest twist in a long-running civil rights drama that has exposed raw debates over race and criminal justice and consumed countless hours of state and federal authorities’ time.

David Rosen, the attorney representing Emma Jones, called Thursday’s verdict a “vindication for Malik’s mother who has hung in there for more than 13 years trying to do the right thing by her son.”

Jones said she was still “digesting” the news as she drove home to New Haven from Hartford.

“It’s not the $900,000” that matters, she said. “It’s about the life and death of my son. Even though East Haven has never made an admission, I’ve had two juries come down in my favor. That’s significant to me.”

She said she hopes the verdict sends a message “that we’re all human beings.”

The saga’s not over. Hugh Keefe, East Haven’s lawyer, told the Independent following the verdict late Thursday afternoon that the town plans to appeal.

That next stage will focus in part on the question of how to value a human life under the law.

Asked his view of the $900,000 verdict, Keefe responded, “It’s better than $2.5 million,” which is the amount of money the town originally was ordered to pay. Then he said he’s confident that the town will succeed in reducing the verdict on appeal if it can win the right to put on testimony about Malik Jones’ criminal history. Attorney Rosen said he’s confident that won’t happen.

A Cause Celebre

The saga began on April 14, 1997. Jones, who’s black, was driving in East Haven. He had been meeting a man with whom he had been involved in alleged gun-dealing. The police didn’t know that; they wanted to make a motor vehicle stop. (No evidence was ever presented that the police knew whom they were trying to stop.) Jones fled instead of stopping. A high-speed chase ensued onto I-95, over the Q Bridge, onto Grand Avenue in New Haven’s Fair Haven neighborhood.

Jones stopped in a vacant lot a block away from his home. One of the officers chasing him stopped, too. The officer, Robert Flodquist, jumped out of his car, busted the window of Jones’ car, and pumped a stream of deadly bullets into Jones’ body. Jones was unarmed. Flodquist later said that Jones gave him a “go to Hell” look, and the car may have been slowly rolling backwards, so he thought his life was at risk.

The case sparked immediate outrage on both sides of the New Haven-East Haven border. Civil rights advocates called it an unprovoked execution by a suburban department notorious for profiling and committing violence against blacks. Police supporters said Jones should have stopped his car and Flodquist had legitimate reason to fear his life. Years of demonstrations and state and federal investigations ensued. Activists used the case to argue successfully for new state legislation aimed at limiting racial profiling.

In the end, the state’s attorney decided not to press criminal charges against the police in the case. The same with the U.S. Department of Justice.

So Emma Jones went to federal court. She filed a suit in U.S. District Court accusing Flodquist and the town of violating her son’s civil rights.

The jury found in her favor and against the town, and awarded her $2.5 million. However, the jury made a technical error. It awarded punitive damages. It did not award compensatory damages. Under federal law, a municipality can’t be held liable for punitive damages in these cases. If it wants to award damages, it’s supposed to award compensatory damages. So the judge, Alvin W. Thompson, ordered a new trial—not on the guilty verdict, but on whether to award compensatory damages.

East Haven’s attorney Keefe appealed that order to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. He argued that the judge shouldn’t have ordered a new trial on damages. The court said it was premature to rule on such a request, that the case had to run its course first before an appeal could be taken up. (Read about that here.)

What’s A Life Worth?

So on Wednesday the sides reconvened in the federal courtroom in Hartford to argue about whether Jones should receive compensatory damages. Attorney Rosen argued yes—and asked for $4 million. Keefe argued no.

The presentation of evidence lasted only some 25 minutes, Keefe said. “It was the fastest trial I was ever involved in my life.” The reason: Keefe wanted to present expert testimony that Jones would have lived only another 10 years because he was involved in crime. He wanted to present evidence about Jones’ previous arrests and involvement with drugs. The judge said he couldn’t present that evidence.

“I feel that this verdict would be the same as the last time: zero,” if he had been allowed to make that case, Keefe said.

Keefe said that that issue—as well as the decision to have a second trial on compensatory damages after the jury originally didn’t award any—form grounds for an appeal. Which the town plans to file.

Attorney Rosen said the judge and Emma Jones are on solid legal ground. According to precedent, a person’s criminal history is not considered relevant to determining the value of his life, Rosen said. “The law is that you don’t get a discount depending on who you kill.”

And he argued that the judge was right to hold a second hearing on whether to award compensatory damages.

“A verdict that a human life is worth nothing is a mistake,” Rosen said.

“I am just so exhilarated,” New Haven criminal justice reform activist Barbara Fair, who has helped organize demonstrations and public speaking events about the case, said upon hearing the news. “After all these years of struggle, [Emma Jones] was persistent for justice for her son. I’m just so happy for her. And I’m happy that the government did the right thing for her.”

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Comments

posted by: DKR on October 21, 2010 4:56pm

what am i missing,..a person’s criminal history can not come into the legal playing field…tell that to the pettit family..!!!! when is society going to wake up and realize our system needs a complete overhaul to better protect us and those that are given the responsibility to serve and protect, instead of allowing the criminal more rights than the victim…!!!

posted by: Disrespect on October 21, 2010 6:24pm

I know Mr. O’Keefe has a job to do but he is just downright disrespectful to Ms. Jones and the memory of her son - who was shot to death by an East Haven cop ...that he would see fit to make projections about a young man’s life while defending a town whose cops have shown little respect for the life and dignity of people of color. ...

posted by: what on October 21, 2010 6:46pm

Let get the facts. A convicted felon, flees a police stop racing to New Haven. caught in an open field, attempts to drive into an officer that has pursued him and demanded he stop and turn off the car. The officer defends himself against deadly force with like force and this judge has the nerve to say the officer was wrong and the felon was justified in his actions. The judge needs to be reviewed and maybe take a few courses in continuing education. Please do not edit and only post part of my comment!!!!

posted by: diver119 on October 21, 2010 7:53pm

Wow, what an article. You can not put a price on a life. But I’ll try.

M Jones was a drug dealer and, as the article points out, dealt with illegal weapons.

So lets put a price on this specific life. The best way to predict future behavior is to look at past behavior. So, M Jones probably would have sold drugs, guns, got arrested and cost tax payers millions in court pproceedingsafter his arrest, housing in jail, inevitable release from jail, then his return after more criminal behavior.

So, the way I see it, the Jones family would have owed the city a few million.

posted by: Johhny C on October 21, 2010 8:47pm

The message is clear now. If the citizenry of a town continues to support their police department’s racial profiling and homicidal tendencies towards blacks and Hispanics they will have to pay.

posted by: Observer on October 21, 2010 9:00pm

“We were precluded by Judge Thompson from entering into evidence any proof of Malik Jones’ life of crime, including crack cocaine dealing, trading guns for drugs, PCP use and his 34 arrests,” Keefe said.

So the judge allowed Rosen to paint a picture of some poor soul whos daughter was paraded before the jury that was taken from all the good he did in the world. What a joke.

posted by: Charlie Pillsbury on October 21, 2010 9:03pm

I will listen to anyone who complains about Emma Jones getting even one penny in compensatory damages for the loss of her son, after they tell me that they themselves have had an unarmed son killed at point blank range by an armed man.

Nothing that Malik did in his life before or on that day, no matter how bad or criminal it may have been, justified this homicide. It was nothing more than a modern version of the lynching of a black man by an angry white man, taking the law into his own hands.

You can’t pay a mother enough to compensate her for the murder of her son. Knowing Ms. Jones as I do, I’m sure that she will use some of this award to pay for Malik’s now teenage son’s college education. May the peace, salaam and shalom of God be with her and her family

p.s. and with her lawyer, too. For so effectively representing this grieving mother, Mr. Rosen deserves every penny he ultimately earns. My guess is that no matter how much Mr. Rosen earns, it will be less than the amount of taxpayer dollars the Town of East Haven has already paid Mr. Keefe over the last 13 years and will pay before this legal battle is over.

posted by: Wow on October 21, 2010 9:15pm

Since the money does not matter, I am sure that $900k will go to a scholarship fund or some other public service.

Sad that the police cannot defend themselves against a threat without worrying.

posted by: Anne M Fincher on October 21, 2010 9:22pm

I was born and raised in East Haven it has been a very racist community and I applaud Miss Jones in standing up for her rights. No amount of money can replace a human life.

posted by: Outraged Citizen on October 21, 2010 10:19pm

Reading most of these comments convey that we are in a pathetic state of racial affairs. DKR - what you are missing is the basic ability to tell the difference between thugs going into the Pettit home, and a racist cop chasing a black man from East Haven (a man the police did not have any reason to chase) into another jurisdiction and walking up to the car, breaking the window and pumping him full of lead. There is a distinct difference. One that is evident to all except those who think that all black men are thugs, and that the white cops always have the right to stop and harass black people, and young black men in particular. There are white cops everywhere in America who believe black lives have less value! American history is full of the evidence.

If Flodquist was afraid for his life, he would have fired from a distance; if the car had been moving towards him, how did he get to use his gun to smash the window and stand still to fire 9 bulletts into Jones?!!! The LIE is evident. Like all racist cops, he thought he had a right to do whatever he felt like doing.

Attorney Hugh Keefe, how dare you speculate about the length and value of Malik Jones’ life? How do you sleeps at night? It is interesting that the two white thugs who killed the Pettit women were out walking around; with their history, were they black they would have never seen the light of day.

As for the comments from sharpeye and What—there is no accounting for ignorance because ignorance knows no boundaries; that is why it is such a dangerous thing. Malik Jones was driving in his car; he was not committing a crime. How many white felons drive around every day and do not get chased by cops. How many black NH officers chase white felons into EH and shoot them dead? Even felons have the right to drive their cars and obey the law.

Hugh Keefe is the one draining the town of East Haven’s resources, not Emma Jones. It is time that Keefe and his clients accept the ruling of the courts and pay Emma Jones for her son’s life, although no amount of money will ever compensate for her child. The ugly head of racism is so very visible; this is another sad chapter in the continuing and painful saga of finding real freedom for so many Americans.

All we need to do to see the ugliness of bigotry is to turn to a national radio or TV program, and read some of the postings on some NHI articles. Don’t be fooled because we have a black president; in fact, since his election many racists have been emboldened. May the Universe save us from our ignorance and our bigotry; these are truly debilitating and continue to prevent the USA from realizing its fullest potential.

posted by: Justice on October 21, 2010 10:41pm

I am a black man that has had to “deal with” issues regarding racist police officers and the departments that they work for saying that they are doing a “on going investigation” of this very issue. I’m happy to see that Ms. Jones was able to get justice for her son because even though this is a small victory, it’s still a huge war as far as equal treatment and complete justice. I am currently involved in the criminal justice system as a student because of this type of clear unjustice. Ms. Jones, my heart goes out to you for the b.s. you have to go through dealing with this situation. There is no amount of money that offers relief for a loss in your family, I hope that you pursue charges on the officer because if you can’t get paid by the obviously unethical police department then please take this ... money ... Maybe if his life is in chaos then he may understand what duty,ethics and honor means to a public servant.

posted by: thesituation on October 21, 2010 10:53pm

... He tried to run a cop over and was shot, The only one that should get a settlement is the cop he tried to kill.

What happened to the days when people had to suffer the consequences for their own actions ???

I feel bad for his Mother, but that lawsuit is just plain wrong.

posted by: mitch on October 22, 2010 8:38am

charlie he was armed with a 4000 pound automobile. more then guns kill people.

posted by: Charlie Pillsbury on October 22, 2010 8:56am

Mitch: At the time Robert Flodquist shot Malik Jones, that 4,000 pound automobile was not moving. Standing next to the car, Flodquist was able to smash the driver’s side window and fire 4 or 5 shots into Malik’s body at point blank range. Why not do what good cops do and call for back up? What was an East Haven police officer doing in the middle of the City of New Haven in the first place? It’s a simple matter of justice that the Town of East Haven should have to pay for the extremely poor judgment exercised by their police officer. Flodquist called it self-defense; I call it a “lynching”.

p.s. my apologies to Malik’s daughter Priya for referring to her as his son.

Hooray for Emma,her attorney,and the judge who has exercised excellent judgement given this very emotional case.I associate myself with the comments of Mr. Pillsbury `cause I couldn`t have said it better myself.I will just add that it seems that the Town hasn`t learned much regard-ing it`s relations with persons of color given it`s recent profiling and abuse issues with it`s Latino residents. Wake up East Haven taxpayers! It`s illegal to racially profile and you will continue to pay compensatory damages if you break the law. Hopefully,EH`s leader- ship will learn from this decision.

posted by: Chris Gray on October 22, 2010 9:49am

I won’t go over here my long history with the Jones family although I can say that I do not recall ever meeting Ms. Jones.

Now, about Keefe I can say a word and it is doubt. I think my divorce was quicker and, despite it being 36 years ago, he might recall my lawyer making a speech protesting his alimony claim after it had already been denied! Quick!

posted by: wow on October 22, 2010 10:22am

Charlie- Were you there? Didn’t think so. Put your life on the line everyday and then go monday morning quarterback.

posted by: The Count on October 22, 2010 11:04am

Imagine how much money East Haven could have saved not spending it on legal fees to battle Emma Jones, the NAACP and Tweed-New Haven Airport. I dare say Mayor Almon might well have been crowing about a possible surplus! But hey, it’s their money…isn’t it?

posted by: bjfair on October 22, 2010 11:57am

East Haven:Pay up. Ms Jones deserved every penny and a few million more for the execution of her son by one fueled by overwhelming rage,racism and unchecked authority that he could’t contain himself. If Malik had 1,000 convictions Flodquist should have had at least one because he committed first degree murder and never paid with his life or his wallet. P.S. By the way because the media wrote and the police stated it doesn’t make it fact. The media reports what they are told and we all know that SOME officers lie to justify their unlawful behavior. Move on and leave Ms Jones and her family alone. This case is not about her because no amount of money will spare her the loss of her son.This case is about delayed justice.

posted by: John Y on October 22, 2010 12:14pm

Emma Jones cannot stop her campaign to have her son’s life cleaned of the slime heaped upon it by East Haven’s legal attempts to escape their financial and moral punishment. The power brokers in East Haven have a need to justify their policies for demonizing and criminalizing all youth who do not look like or are not “connected” in that town. The political structure is antiquated and viciuos to their own kind. Occasionally one of East Haven’s politicians or their family members get caught up in the legal system or in a scandal which is quickly removed from the courts and the headlines of the local media.Emma Jones must contimue her quest to clear her son’s name. Malik’s assination cannot and should not be supported or justified beacuse of his age or his race. God Bless Hugh Keefe as he has been defeated in this battle. Well, not completely defeated, his legal fees from East Haven for this case are reportedly at, or near, one million dollars, so he must grasp at straws right down to the wire. Hugh, sometimes you get it legally right, but this case will not endear you to the intelligent, clear-thinking honest and good-hearted members of this community. Your use of race has infuriated even the most conservative elements of our soceity. East Haven, your destiny is forever entwined in the senseless murder of a misbehaving teenager who was murdered by one of your agents who should have been removed from the force years before this incident. His mental state reportedly showed deterioration through his work history with the East Haven Police Department. Even the God-fearing, good people of East Haven now live in fear, because one day it could be one of their sons or daughters who will receive judgement from one of your officer’s weapons. Ye’ must repent!

posted by: notty on October 22, 2010 12:45pm

Dave Runlett is that you posing as DKR?

posted by: Mr. Calabash on October 22, 2010 12:57pm

If Malik Jones was fleeing for his life—even to the point of trying to run over the cop, which is in dispute—his fear, as events proved, was perfectly reasonable. He was afraid the cop would kill him, and the cop did kill him.

posted by: Doyens on October 22, 2010 1:26pm

Choices people make have consequences.

posted by: Doyens on October 22, 2010 1:48pm

Charlie Pillsbury: It is disconcerting to read your diatribe with words like lynching associated with the death of M Jones. As you should well know, this was nothing of the sort. Join the 21st century and quit living in the past. Furthermore, calling his death a homicide and a murder also goes too far and way over the line. People can disagree about the share of blame for Malik’s death, but it doesn’t require any of what you wrote.

Outraged Citizen: The same holds true for you too. People who believe Malik bears at least some responsibility are not automatic bigots.

It would be good for all involved in this issue to remember that we all have choices. Choices have consequences - some intended, some not, but there are consequences none the less. Emma Jones made choices in raising Malik. Malik made choices in a life spent in criminal pursuits that also damaged the community around him. Likewise, Officer Floodquist made his choices. At each level, there are consequences and I suspect, some measure of regret or there should be. Let’s recognize that without demonizing and further polarizing our communities.

posted by: HoodBeast on October 22, 2010 2:05pm

the town of east haven is extremely racist and their actions prove it.

i myself dodged two oncoming cars in my life and i didnt get injured nor felt the need to fire a weapon. its amazing that a trained officer cant do the same thing.these officers need mental health screeing every yr or sooner cause they are just as human as the rest of us

the officer didnt get charged now the town doesnt want to pay up.everyone is paying attn and there are some ...out here defending the officers actions when they know in their hearts that if it was their family member they would want justice.

wicked world we live in with all these nutty ppl with power-i cant help but to wonder what would have happen if Malik Jones was White.

posted by: nfjanette on October 22, 2010 2:50pm

Mitch: At the time Robert Flodquist shot Malik Jones, that 4,000 pound automobile was not moving.

That’s an opinion, not an established fact. The exact facts in those moments, which are critical to forming a reasonable opinion regarding the use of deadly force by Officer Flodquist, have always been in dispute. This is an example of a situation for which we all might wish for clear video evidence so that there isn’t such a fundamental clash over the actual facts.

Note, for example, that even Mr. Bass’s version of the story has changed over the years. In his concise retelling of the events offered in this article, he has left out statements which even he previously included that offer a more balanced version of the disputed facts:

The chase ended in a vacant lot right by Jones’ home in Fair Haven. By that time East Haven had sent four cars. Two boxed in Jones’ car. He hit reverse. The driver of the police van, Officer Robert Flodquist, walked up to Jones’ driver’s window, broke it with his gun, then pumped a series of deadly bullets into the unarmed Jones’ body.

The East Haven cops say they started chasing Jones because an unnamed citizen pulled them over and reported a car driving at high speed. The police have failed to produce the identity of this person or explain how that conversation would leave time to catch up with the allegedly speeding vehicle. They also say Jones tried to run Flodquist over. Sources say Flodquist claims that the car was still moving and swerving backward toward him.

Note the critical line: “he hit reverse”. That’s the entire crux of the argument: did Jones have the vehicle moving, still attempting to evade when the officer approached.

Standing next to the car, Flodquist was able to smash the driver’s side window and fire 4 or 5 shots into Malik’s body at point blank range.

Smashing the window was not required to shoot, which could imply it was an attempt to grab the driver and/or disable the vehicle without discharging his weapon. Bullets usually go through car windows without issues. What seems more likely to me is that Jones reacted to the smashing of the window by either intentionally or unintentionally moving the vehicle. That’s the action that seems to have directly lead to the officer’s decision to discharge his weapon. If the vehicle was moving and the officer’s assessment was that he was in danger, it’s a whole different situation.

Why not do what good cops do and call for back up? What was an East Haven police officer doing in the middle of the City of New Haven in the first place?

Any chase like that involves calling for assistance, which I understand was done. The chase started in one town and ended in another, which I understand is legal and seems appropriate for a pursuit situation.

It’s a simple matter of justice that the Town of East Haven should have to pay for the extremely poor judgment exercised by their police officer. Flodquist called it self-defense; I call it a “lynching”.

I think that diminishes that term by radically changing the context. What happened is a tragedy for all involved, but Mr. Jones was a participant in the events to the extent he may have effectively been the cause of his own death. There are lessons to be learned by all from these terrible events.

posted by: Matt on October 22, 2010 4:22pm

I agree with everyone who says there is no dollar figure one can put on human life. And in that spirit, I do not think lawsuits such as this should exist. If there is criminal wrongdoing, justice will be served by the criminal conviction of the person in question.

Use of the courts and mentally diminished juries to reward lawyers for convincing poor saps that they deserve millions does nothing to address the implicit indictment of the criminal justice system. If it really is broken, then let’s fix it.

Civil lawsuits serve primarily to fatten the wallets of lawyers.

posted by: thesituation on October 22, 2010 5:56pm

It Malik Jones had nothing to hide and did nothing wrong why did he run when the cop tried to pull him over. He was fearing for his life form a cop that was going to give him a speeding ticket ??? I think not. It’s sad that Malik being black and the cop being white automatically makes him a racist in some peoples eyes . As much as I hate to say it but if Malik were white we wouldn’t be writing our comments right now and his family wouldn’t be enjoying their undeserved bonanza.

posted by: crack addicts family member on October 22, 2010 7:30pm

Who do we sue when our family member overdoses on the drugs that were sold to them by people like Malik? He killed other people’s children and didn’t care, nobody sued the crack dealer. How do you justify this settlement? Maybe Ms Jones should share the wealth with families of the people Malik sold drugs to. Black, white, hispanic, asian, I don’t care who you are, if you are driving toward an officer with intent to run him over then by all means you deserve to be shot and killed. Don’t blame the officer for the pain Ms Jones is enduring, blame Malik. Ms Jones, ... now you can stop playing the blame game.

posted by: kamb on October 23, 2010 4:06pm

So by these standards of paying someone for what their life could have been like, had they lived, should we now monetarily charge inmates, families or criminals, for all the damage they do to society? Why not right.

And I dont want to hear about, if they are found guilty then they are paying their dues. Because, Flodquist was not found guilty of any wrong doing.

Our legal system said he did nothing wrong. Why in the world is this woman getting anything?

posted by: will on October 24, 2010 8:09am

Three days late, but thanks ‘Doyens’. Correct. And ‘Outraged Citizen’, if there was profiling on Flodquist’s part, his instincts were right because the guy he was chasing, low and behold, WAS a ... bad one.

posted by: robn on October 24, 2010 12:21pm

Fact is its hard to sympathize with any of these characters.

STAVEN One need look no further than the infamous “Boys on the Hood” incident or maybe more recently the Gutiz Bakery profiling incident to understand that the department has a racism problem….or the reported broken watermelons on the streets of East Haven greeting protesters shortly after Malik’s death to understand that the town has a racism problem. But whether or not Officer Floodquist intended to kill Malik Jones, the bottom line is that he put himself in a unnecessarily compromised position that led to Malik’s death, a fatherless child and a huge monetary penalty for all of East Haven taxpayers, including the many who aren’t racists. Not good.

JONES’ Hard to sympathize with a convicted larcenist and narcotics dealer, especially one who puts many people in danger by leading a 100mph chase through the county. Its even harder to understand how a the child of a lawyer and a former Board of Ed member who motivated himself to be an honor student in his senior year slipped into a life of crime. Bottom line is Malik’s mom built a career as a civil rights activist, but she couldn’t give her son enough guidance to keep him out of trouble…when Maliks troubles led to his death his mom used it as a cause celebre to bolster her standing. Not a great win for those who care about the very many clearly defined instances of racial injustice that occur every day to people who are just trying to be good.

posted by: angelo reyes on October 24, 2010 4:36pm

i can name many badboys who grew up to be positive role models.i would go for the four million.

posted by: Kris on October 24, 2010 7:31pm

Malik did not have a valid drivers license therefore should not have been driving.Now, had he not been driving ILEAGALLY what followed wouldn’t have occured.Had he killed someone with the car that persons family would have gotten zero because he had no insurance and if they sued him…well what did he have? Also,why didn’t they reward money based how much he would have earned over his lifetime legally? How much do you think that would have amounted to? ...

posted by: will on October 25, 2010 5:48am

... That’s right, bankrupt the town on the premise of what COULD have been, not reality. The family is ENTITLED to get some money, know what I mean?

posted by: Brian on October 25, 2010 2:06pm

Outraged: I beg to differ in your opinion that whites cops think a black mans life is less valuable. Look at all the black on black crime and murders in New Haven alone? I’m pretty sure we’re in the double digits year. Everytime a white kills a black it’s a tragedy within the community. When a black kills a black it’s just another day. How many marches have Jessie and Al had for all the murders this year in New Haven?

posted by: John Y on October 26, 2010 5:46pm

If we admit that East Haven has many moral and good God-fearing people and cease to call policemen racist, even if their unauthorized use of power on people of color, continues to occur, can we make the obvious point that 50 East Haven policemen could have had (2) years of semi-annual psychological reviews at the cost of $900,000.

posted by: Beloved on October 29, 2010 11:11am

I have just one question: 1)How many whites have these cops (black or white) shot mistakenly or b/c they “feared their life” during routine stops and/or chases?

It’s not that black on black killings are okay with blacks who just don’t want white cops shooting at them, it’s an issue of how often the mistake is made, then justified after the fact. So for someone to say something like “Everytime a white kills a black it’s a tragedy within the community. When a black kills a black it’s just another day.” (which is a MAJOR distortion of the truth in any case) still can never make it okay for an officer to have no self-control when they are placed in this type of situation. If they are that nervous they should pick another profession.

posted by: kamb on October 29, 2010 12:12pm

Hey beloved, Who said the cop shot him by accident? He shot because malik was driving a at into him. The copshooting was shown to be valid by law.the cop did the right thing. and if you wamt to know how many whites were shot be this cop, first find out how many whites tried to run this cop over.

posted by: tasha on November 11, 2010 1:53pm

hes worth more than that… but at least they payin…. thank god

posted by: PianoJim on November 15, 2010 10:19am

As Pillsbury said, “why not do what good cops do, and backup?”. A short time after Malik Jones was murdered, there was an almost exact same incident with a Branford officer, who was actually in danger of being hit by the suspects’ car. He simply jumped back out of the way. Maybe our new Attorney General will get control of the States Attornies in CT.